Ship Including a Device for Recovering Floating Objects

ABSTRACT

A ship comprising a hull at the bow of which an opening is formed, and on each side of said opening a recovery device designed to recover floating objects and guide them towards said opening, each recovering device comprising: a rigid vane having meshes sized so as to not allow the floating objects to pass but to allow water to pass, said vane being designed to adopt a stowed position in which it is out of the water, a collection position in which it is immersed and disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the direction of the advance of the ship and upstream of the opening, and a recovery position in which it is immersed and disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the direction of advance of the ship and upstream of the opening, and a control device mounted on the hull, and on which said vane is mounted, and which comprises means for ensuring the passage successively from the stowed position to the collection position and then to the recovery position and from the recovery position to the collection position and then to the stowed position.

BACKGROUND

The present invention concerns a ship equipped with a device forrecovering objects floating on the water, as well as a recovery device.

A device for recovering floating objects is known that takes the form oftwo inflatable fenders that are fixed to the bows of a ship and extendupstream thereof. The inflatable fenders are disposed in a V in order tosweep a larger surface area of the water. Such fenders thus form afunnel that directs the water and floating objects towards the bows ofthe ship, where a cleaning device is provided.

Such a recovery device is not completely satisfactory since such fendersreduce the manoeuvrability of the ship and take a long time to fit. Thedocument WO-A-95/21764 discloses a ship that recovers floating waste.

SUMMARY

One aim of the present invention is to propose a ship equipped with adevice for recovering objects floating on the water that does not havethe drawbacks of the prior art and in particular is easy to manoeuvre.

To this end, a ship is proposed comprising a hull at the prow of whichan opening is made, and, on each side of said opening, a recovery deviceprovided for recovering the floating objects and guiding them towardssaid opening, each recovery device comprising:

-   -   a rigid vane having meshes sized so as to not allow the floating        objects to pass but to allow water to pass, said vane being        designed to adopt a stowed position in which it is out of the        water, a collection position in which it is immersed and        disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the direction        of advance of the ship and upstream of the opening, and a        recovery position in which it is immersed and disposed in a        plane substantially parallel to the direction of advance of the        ship and upstream of the opening, and    -   a control device mounted on the hull and on which said vane is        mounted, and which comprises means for providing passage        successively from the stowed position to the collection position        and then to the recovery position and vice versa.

Advantageously, the means of the control device are designed to effectthe passage from the stowed position to the collection position by arotation about a first horizontal rotation axis and by a rotation abouta second vertical rotation axis, and to effect the passage from thecollection position to the recovery position by a rotation about thesecond rotation axis.

Advantageously, the means of the control device comprise:

-   -   a base fixed to the hull,    -   a first shaft the axis of which forms the first rotation axis        and on which a first sleeve secured to the vane fits, and    -   a second shaft fixed to the base, the axis of which forms the        second rotation axis and on which a second sleeve secured to the        first shaft fits.

Advantageously, each vane extends, in the collection position, betweenan internal end that is situated upstream of the opening and an externalend that is situated towards the outside of the ship, the external endhas a profile arched towards the upstream end and the internal end has apotentially flat profile.

Advantageously, each recovery device comprises a sheet intended to befixed to said vane in front of the meshes.

The invention also proposes a device for recovering floating objects fora ship according to one of the preceding embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the vane 102 in the stowed position. In the embodiment ofthe invention presented here, the vane 102, in the stowed position, isdisposed against the railing 108 of the hull 54, in a turned-overposition where the bottom edge 110 is above the top edge 112.

FIG. 2 shows a first position intermediate between the stowed positionand the collection position.

FIG. 3 shows a second position intermediate between the firstintermediate position and the collection position.

FIG. 4 shows the collection position.

FIG. 5 shows a third position intermediate between the collectionposition and the recovery position.

FIG. 6 shows the recovery position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The features of the invention mentioned above, as well as others, willemerge more clearly from a reading of the following description of anexample embodiment, said description being given in relation to theaccompanying drawings, among which FIGS. 1 to 6 show a ship equippedwith a recovery device according to the invention during various stepsof use thereof.

In the following description, the terms relating to a position are takenwith reference to a ship sailing on the water with the recovery devicein the collection position as shown in FIG. 4. The upstream anddownstream directions are taken with reference to the direction ofmovement of the ship when it is moving forwards.

FIG. 1 shows a ship 50 that has a hull 54 at the prow of which there isproduced an opening 52 through which objects floating on the water enterthe hull 54 in order to be stored therein. The hull 54 also has here arailing 108.

The ship 50 also has, to port and to starboard of the opening 52, arecovery device 100 that is mounted on the hull 54 and is intended torecover the floating objects and guide them towards the opening 52. Onthe various Figs. only the recovery device 100 disposed to starboard isshown and described, but the recovery device 100 disposed to port issymmetrical.

The recovery device 100 comprises:

-   -   a rigid vane 102 having meshes sized so as to not allow the        floating objects to pass but to allow water to pass, the vane        102 being designed to adopt a stowed position in which it is out        of the water and, in particular, stowed against the railings        108, a collection position in which it is immersed and disposed        in a plane substantially perpendicular to the direction of the        advance of the ship 50 and upstream of the opening 52, and a        recovery position in which it is immersed and disposed in a        plane substantially parallel to the direction of advance of the        ship 50 and upstream of the opening 52, and    -   a control device 150 mounted on the hull 54 and on which said        vane 102 is mounted, and which comprises means for ensuring the        passage successively from the stowed position to the collection        position and then to the recovery position and vice versa.

The immersion of the vane 102 is not complete, otherwise the floatingobjects would pass above it. The immersion is therefore partial over theheight of the vane 102.

The vane 102 has a bottom edge 110 which, in the collection position, isimmersed in the water, and a top edge 112 which, in the collectionposition, remains above the water.

The rigidity of the vane 102 and the rapidity of the placing thereofmake it possible to act rapidly in places where floating objects aresituated.

The vane 102 is rigid in order not to bend under the effect of the waterwhen it is immersed. The vane 102 here consists of a rigid frame 104 anda net 106 fixed inside the frame 104. It is also possible to provide forthe vane 102 to consist of a single element, for example made fromsynthetic resin.

In the embodiment of the invention presented here, the passage from thestowed position to the collection position is effected by a rotationabout a first horizontal rotation axis 114 and then a rotation about asecond vertical rotation axis 116, and the passage from the collectionposition to the recovery position is effected by a rotation about thesecond rotation axis 116.

Thus the means of the control device 150 are designed to effect thepassage from the stowed position to the collection position by arotation about the first rotation axis 114 and then by a rotation aboutthe second rotation axis 116, and to effect the passage from thecollection position to the recovery position by rotation about thesecond rotation axis 116.

In the first intermediate position, the vane 102 has undergone arotation of approximately 90° about the first rotation axis 114.

In the second intermediate position, the vane 102 has undergone arotation of approximately 180° about the first rotation axis 114. Thevane 102 is then immersed in the water and its bottom edge 110 is belowthe top edge 112. The downstream face of the vane 102 is against thehull 54.

In order to pass from the second intermediate position to the collectionposition, the vane 102 undergoes a rotation about the second rotationaxis 116 in order to bring it into the collection position substantiallyperpendicular to the direction of advance of the ship 50, that is to saytransversely with respect to the axis of the ship 50.

The passage from the collection position to the recovery position iseffected by continuing the rotation about the second rotation axis 116,passing through the third intermediate position.

When it is in the collection position, the vane 102 extends, in thecollection position, between an internal end that is situated upstreamof the starboard edge of the opening 52, and an external end that issituated towards the outside of the ship 50.

The external end of the vane 102 has a profile arched to upstream whenit is in the collection position while the internal end has asubstantially planar profile perpendicular to the direction of advanceof the ship 50 in order to form a guide that guides the floating objectstowards the opening 52.

In the collection position, the vanes 102 are in line with each otherbut at a distance from each other and thus have a wide span that makesit possible to capture a maximum number of floating objects. The twointernal ends are thus disposed on either side of the opening 52.

In the recovery position, the vanes 102 are opposite each other and theexternal ends are close to each other so that the vanes 102 form acorridor along which the floating objects are guided towards the opening52 and sucked in by it.

In the context of another embodiment, it is possible to envisage otherkinematics using rotations and/or translations. For example, from thestowed position, a rotation about the second rotation axis 116 bringsthe vane 102 above its collection position, a rotation about the firstrotation axis 114 brings the vane 102 into the collection position and arotation about the second rotation axis 116 brings the vane 102 into therecovery position. It is also possible to provide, from a stowedposition where the vane 102 would be stowed right side up, a verticaltranslation parallel to the first rotation axis 114 to bring it into thefirst angular position, and then a rotation about the second rotationaxis 116 in order to bring it successively into the collection positionand into the recovery position.

In the embodiment in the Figs., the means constituting the controldevice 150 comprises a base 152 fixed to the hull 54, a first shaft 154the axis of which forms the first rotation axis 114 and on which therefit a first sleeve 155 secured to the vane 102 and a second shaft 156fixed to the base 152, the axis of which forms the second rotation axisand on which a second sleeve 157 secured to the first shaft 154 fits.

The passage from the stowed position to the second intermediate positionis effected by the rotation of the sleeve 155 about the first shaft 154and the passage from the second intermediate position to the collectionposition is effected by the rotation of the second sleeve 157 about thesecond shaft 156.

The passage from the collection position to the recovery position iseffected by the rotation of the second sleeve 157 about the second shaft156.

The rotation movements about the first rotation axis 114 and the secondrotation axis 116 are here effected manually, but it is possible toautomate them by fitting suitable motors or jacks.

According to another embodiment of the invention, it is possible modifythe structure of the control device 150 as long as the rotations aboutthe first rotation axis 114 and the second rotation axis 116 arepossible. For example, it is possible to replace the first sleeve 155and the first shaft 154 with a shaft on which the vane 102 is fixed andwhich is mounted so as to be able to move in rotation on the secondsleeve 157.

In the embodiment of the invention presented here, the rotation aboutthe second rotation axis 116 is effected by a lever 160, a control shaft162 fixed to the hull 54 and a set of linkages 170 that connects thelever 160 to the second shaft 156.

The linkage assembly 170 comprises a first linkage 172, an intermediatelinkage 174 and a second linkage 176.

The first linkage 172 comprises a control sleeve 159 fitted on thecontrol shaft 162. The first linkage 172 and the control sleeve 159thereof are thus able to move in rotation about a vertical control axis178.

At one of the ends of the first linkage 172 the lever 160 is fixed and,at the other end, one of the ends of the intermediate linkage 174 isassembled by means of a removable pin that is not fitted in FIGS. 1, 2and 3 and is fitted in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

The other end of the intermediate linkage 174 is connected to one of theends of the second linkage 176 by means of a pin and the other end ofthe second linkage 176 is fixed to the second sleeve 157.

Thus, when the removable pin is fitted, the rotation movement of thelever 160 about the vertical control axis 178 causes the movement of theintermediate linkage 174 and of the second linkage 176, which in itsturn causes the rotation of the second sleeve 157 about the second shaft156.

When the ship 50 is intended to recover liquids floating on the watersuch as for example hydrocarbons, an impermeable sheet is placed on eachvane 102 upstream of the meshes so as to cover them and close them off.Thus each recovery device 100 also comprises a sheet.

The sheet that is placed in front of the meshes with respect to thedirection of movement of the ship prevents the meshes being soiled bythe liquid and guides the liquid towards the opening 52. The sheet isfor example fixed to the rigid frame 104 by any suitable means such asfor example: envelopment of the frame, stud of the press stud type, etc.

Naturally, the present invention is not limited to the examples andembodiments described and depicted but is capable of numerous variantsaccessible to a person skilled in the art.

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A ship comprising a hull at the prow of which anopening is formed, and on each side of said opening a recovery devicedesigned to recover floating objects and guide them towards saidopening, each recovery device comprising: a rigid vane having meshessized so as to not allow the floating objects to pass but to allow waterto pass, said vane being designed to adopt a stowed position in which itis out of the water, a collection position in which it is immersed anddisposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the direction ofadvance of the ship and upstream of the opening, and a recovery positionin which it is immersed and disposed in a plane substantially parallelto the direction of advance of the ship and upstream of the opening, anda control device mounted on the hull, and on which said vane is mounted,and which comprises means for ensuring the passage successively from thestowed position to the collection position and then to the recoveryposition and from the recovery position to the collection position andthen to the stowed position.
 8. The ship of claim 7, wherein the meansof the control device are designed to effect the passage from the stowedposition to the collection position by a rotation about a firsthorizontal rotation axis and by a rotation about a second verticalrotation axis, and to effect the passage from the collection position tothe recovery position by a rotation about the second rotation axis. 9.The ship of claim 8, wherein the means of the control device comprise: abase fixed to the hull, a first shaft the axis of which forms the firstrotation axis and on which a first sleeve secured to the vane fits, anda second shaft fixed to the base, the axis of which forms the secondrotation axis and on which a second sleeve secured to the first shaftfits.
 10. The ship of claim 7, wherein each vane extends, in thecollection position, between an internal end that is situated upstreamof the opening and an external end that is situated towards the outsideof the ship, in that the external end has a profile arched upstream andin that the internal end has a substantially planar profile.
 11. Theship of claim 7, wherein each recovery device comprises a sheet intendedto be fixed to said vane in front of the meshes.
 12. A device forrecovering floating objects for a ship according to claim 7.